Improvement in fare-boxes



UNITED STATES JAMES E. wincHEL'L, 0E SPRINGFIELD, onto, Assienon ToELiJAH c.

- MIDDLETON, 0E SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARE-BOXES.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,118, dated February18, 1873.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. WINGHELL, of.

` lever by which the lock-chamber is opened and apron moved to drop theticket or fare into the lock-chamber.

Myinvention consists in interposin g between the inspectionchamber andthe safe-chamber or place of nal deposit in a fare-box a chambered lock,oscillating beneath or within a segmental partition, and adapted by itsconstruction and operation to receive the fare from theinspection-chamber, and, after cutting off communication with the saidchamber, to deposit it in the safe.' My invention further consists in socombining the aforesaid oscillating chambered lock with a hinged apronformingthe bottom of the receiving-chamber, that the movement of saidapron to drop the fare into the chambered lock .will be made after thesaid lock has cut off communication with the safe, and the reversemovement of the apron to rev close the bottom of the receiving-chamberwill be made before communication is re-opened between the chamberedlock and thesafe.

Tha-t others may f'ully understand this invention, I will particularlydescribe it.

A is the fare-box, constructed of any suitable material and providedwith an opening, B, in front, through which the farev may be inspectedby the driver or other oficer, after being deposited by the payer. ct isthe orifice through which the payer deposits the money orfare in thereceiving-chamber C. When so deposited the ticket or money falls to thebottom'- of said chamber and rests upon the receiving-apron D, which Iprefer to place in an inclined position, as shown, and restingat itslower edgeagainst the bottom of the Window B, because in that way it notonly requires a less movement of said apron to precipitate said ticket,&c., into the safe than would otherwise` be the case, but the saidticket, 85e., is also thereby cast against the said window and the moreeasily and clearly seen by the inspecting officer. 1

The apron D may, of course, be caused to serve the purposes herein setforth if placed in a horizontal position, but, as I think, less readilyand perfectly than` when arranged as above described. The apron D may bemade of metal or other suitable material, but I prefer to make it ofglass, whereby the use of a reflector below said apron will enable thedriver to inspect both sides of the ticket deposited, as is more fullyset forth in connection with another invention of a fare-box for which Ihave heretofore made application for Letters Patent.

The' apron D is hinged at lits upper edge at d, and the lower edge has alimited motion to and from the window B, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and et,to permit the ticket, Ste., to pass into the chamber E, of a pivotedlock, which prevents access to the safe chamber Gr. This movement ot'the apron D is effected by the opening and closing of the saidlock-chamber,

the connections being so constructed and ar-e chamber E is again throwninto communication with the safe. The chambered lock is composed, asv Iprefer Ito make it, of a rigid wall, e, forming a segment of a cylinder,and a partition, F, swinging upon an axis coincident with the axis ofthe segment e. At that portion of the shell e immediately beneath themoving end of the apron D there is an orice, f, through which theticket, &c., may pass when said apron is depressed, and the segment eincludes a portion of the cylinder sufcient to enable the partition F tostretch entirely across it when in such position as will uncover theopening f, and thereby prevent the passage of anything directly throughthe opening j' past-the partition F into the safe-chamber Gr, but whenthe partition F is moved so that one of its ends will be clear of thesegment e, then its other end must have closed the orifice f; and therespective opening and closing of the ways into and out of thelock-chamber E must be so timed by arrangement of the moving partition Fthat both openings cannot be uncovered at the same time. In order toaocomplish the desired economy of space, I prefer to construct thepartition F with a segmental extension, i, at its upper end. Thissegmental extension is in curvature concentric to the segment c, but ofdiameter` a little less than the diameter of the inner surface of saidsegment c, so that it will move in such close proximity to the innersurface of e that no instrument can pass between them. The segment 'iextends laterally sufficiently far to con tinue to close the orifice fduring the movement of the partition until the opposite or lower end got' said partition shall have closed upon the lower end of said segmente, and cut oir communication between chambers E G. The movements abovedescribed are fully shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawing. The lowerend g of-the partition F is weighted, as shown, to cause it to come intoproper position automatically. A stop, H, is placed upon the side of theease A, behind the end g, to arrest the partition at the proper point.One end of the axis of the partition F is prolonged through the case A,and the cam-lever J is mounted upon said projecting end, and vsaid leverserves to enable the driver or other officer to operate the lock when aticket is dex posited. The lever J has a cam-groove, 7i, out in itsupper edge, and located so that the pin m, which projects from the edgeof the apron D through a curved slot in the side of the case A, may, atthe proper point of' the movement of the ehambered lock', viz., when theorifice j' is about to be uncovered, enter the groove k, and the apronbe thereby depressed.

The apron may be held in position against the window by the pin m andcam J, or by a spring, L, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In the drawing the lock-chamber is represented much larger,proportionately, than will in practice, be necessary.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Thecombination and arrangement of the inspection-chamber C, safe-chamberGr, segmental partition c, and ehambered lock E Ff, said lock beinginterposed between the chambers C and G, and being constructed andoperated as herein described to prevent direct communication between thesaid chambers while the fare is passed from one to the other.

2. In combination with the cam-lever J, partition F, and hinged apronD,the said lever actd ing directly ou the partition F and opening andclosing the apron D at or near the respective ends of the oscillatingmovements of the partition, substantially as described.

JAMES F. WINCHELL.

Witnesses:

E. C. MIDDLETON, H. P. J'oNns.

